The Earth is perishing before our eyes. The temperature of the Earth has risen exponentially, human activities continue to pollute the air, and the most severe impacts of these changes have been felt by the world’s animals and forests. What steps are those in government who represent us taking to address this issue? They continue to pass the buck when it comes to deciding how much money they are going to spend on addressing such urgent issues.
When the Earth came out of the ice age millions of years ago, the temperature steadily rose from 4 degrees Celsius to 7 degrees Celsius. However, since the 20th century, the temperature has risen at a rate of 0.7 degrees Celsius per century, which is 10 times faster than it was during the ice age.
The sixth report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) noted that the global temperature has increased by 1.1 degrees Celsius from 1850 to 2017 and that since 1850, the world’s average temperature has gone up by 1.1 degrees Celsius, which led to the IPCC report. continues to rise by another 1.5 degrees Celsius, it will cause unprecedented and irreversible damage to planet Earth. Since 1850, the world’s average temperature has gone up by 1.1 degrees Celsius, which led to the IPCC report. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has stated that a warming of the climate that is greater than 2 degrees Celsius might have “irrevocable repercussions.”
In 2021, the Congressional Research Service conducted an internal report and found that 750 bills had been brought up in Congress that dealt with climate change in some way, but none of them had worked. Because of the lack of lawmaking, we are now seeing global warming’s effects on a huge scale.
The impact of global warming on many forms of life and the ecological balance of the earth is one of the most significant repercussions. The rising temperature has an effect not just on the land but also on the seas, which are home to a massive number of species from across the animal kingdom. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) warns us that greater water temperatures can induce coral bleaching. This happens when corals exfoliate algae from their tissues, which causes the coral to change from a vibrant palette to a dreary white wasteland in the ocean. The warm seas that were present close to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands caused the United States to lose half of its reefs in the Caribbean in 2005. The Great Barrier Reef, which is located in Australia and is the most significant coral reef system in the world, has also been negatively impacted by coral bleaching. It has been stated that coral bleaching has damaged 90% of reefs that were inspected in 2022. One contributor to this phenomenon is global warming.
In light of this, what steps has Congress taken in the last five years to deal with the important problems that climate change and global warming pose? The Green New Deal resolution, which is a resolution of environmental activism, was submitted to Congress, but the measure has not moved further.
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, also known as Build Back Better, is an omnibus bill that was supported by President Joe Biden. The bill initially included $3.5 trillion in funding for green initiatives, which was seen as a step in the direction of the Green New Deal. The bill is encouraging and shows potential. Even so, the bill was passed with $369 billion to support renewable energy, tax breaks for electric vehicles, reducing pollution, making batteries in the United States, and investing in solar panels. This was accomplished despite the House and Senate being in a stalemate.
Even though the measure has been toned down a lot, it still has important parts that will have a big impact on future generations. The standard has the potential to avert the untimely deaths of thousands of people brought on by high levels of air pollution. Think for a moment about what would happen if Congress passed the same plan with the initial $3.5 trillion in funding. It’s possible that even more lives would be saved.
If we continue to get such a small amount of funding, we can’t expect the average temperature of the Earth to go down or the amount of pollution in the air to go down.
In times when the political climate is becoming more polarized, Americans need to be cautious about who they elect to govern the country. How much longer will it be that Congress will continue to vote along party lines on significant measures that have been brought there? Will our political leaders find a way to work together on crucial issues like climate action?
We are beginning to observe the consequences of global warming. More violent storms, prolonged rain, droughts, tornadoes, and other extreme weather phenomena will become more common and much more intense. It is now time for Congress to start representing the will of the people in its actions. It is not only financially unfeasible but also detrimental to future generations to pass legislation that may be seen as a stepping stone to the future. It is time for Congress to stop compromising on policy and start taking action that will make a difference. It is time to begin pursuing meaningful climate action policies. Congress ought to be the instrument of the people’ interests and among those interests is global environmental security in the near future.
Louisville Political Review 